Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff (27 February 1860 – 26 March 1942) was a Dutch geologist, biologist and explorer. He became an authority on the geology of South Africa and the Dutch East Indies.
Gustaaf Molengraaff studied mathematics and physics at Leiden University. From 1882 he studied at Utrecht University. As a student he made his first journey overseas when he joined the 1884–1885 expedition to the Dutch Antilles led by Willem Frederik Reinier Suringar and Karl Martin. He became PhD with a thesis on the geology of Sint Eustatius. He studied crystallography in Munich, where he also took the opportunity to study the geology of the Alps nearby.
In 1888 Molengraaff took a job as a teacher at the University of Amsterdam. Before his assignment courses in geology were given by the chemist Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff. During his assignment in Amsterdam, Molengraaff travelled to South Africa to study gold deposits (1891) and to Borneo (1894) where he explored large parts of the inland. Teaching at Amsterdam was not to his liking, because there were too little materials and students available.
In 1897 Molengraaff became "state geologist" of the Transvaal Republic. His task was to start the geological survey of the Transvaal. While mapping the Transvaal he discovered the Bushveld complex. In 1900 he got involved in the Second Boer War and had to return to the Netherlands. This gave him time to write a report on the geology of the Transvaal, and travel to Celebes, where he (again) studied gold deposits.
Due to his reputation as a geologist he could return to South Africa in 1901 to work as a geological consultant. One of his assignments was to describe the newly found Cullinan diamond for the Central Bank of South Africa. Meanwhile the Boer War still had his attention. One of his ideas was to give each soldier a small tin identity card, which later became practice in armies around the world.
In 1906 he became professor at Delft University and this time he got enough resources and students to make his work successful. The same year he became member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1910-1911 he led a geological expedition to Timor. His research at Delft was mainly on the material collected during that expedition, and on the geology of the Netherlands. In 1927 he was a guide of the Shaler Memorial Expedition to South Africa, organized by Harvard University. On the expedition he met Alexander Du Toit, both geologists were among the (at that time rare) supporters of Alfred Wegeners' continental drift theory.
Molengraaff was a close friend of W. F. Gisolf, who named his youngest son after him but died in a Japanese concentration camp.
Molengraaff retired in 1930.
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Some of their strengths
Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Passionate, Intuitive, Physical, Organized, Curious, Independent, and Inventive.
Soulful and Understanding
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff is someone who is a soulful, understanding, and conscious person, who combines smarts with a deep talent for creativity and imagination. A person who is known for being a good partner.
Warm and Caring
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff well know them as someone who can be warm, caring, and compassionate, like a lamp or torch.
Independent and Organized
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff as someone who is independent, organized, inventive, and generous.
A person who is curious and a loves learning, who seems to always know what to say, who has an optimism that can overcome any difficult situation, and who seems to be able to master almost any skill.
Charismatic and Instinctual
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff is someone who handles stress better than most people, and who tends to have a powerful charisma and convictions.
They are also someone who is intuitive, imaginative, and an agent of change, and who is always dreaming of life's great possibilities and partnering with people to try to achieve those possibilities.
Creative and Imaginative
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff tends to be someone who is sensitive, imaginative, creative, and somewhat of a dreamer. Who is intuitive and compassionate, and who has a friendly, easygoing, calming and relaxing effect on people and for whom friends and family mean the world.
Some of Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff's challenges
While Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff can be Unrealistic, Domineering, Emotional, Indecisive, Stubborn, Idle, and Difficult.
Indecisive and Unrealistic
One of Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as indecisive and unrealistic.
Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff must also exercise caution as they can be short-tempered and aggressive.
Domineering and Impatient
Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff is someone who can be demanding, egotistical, and controlling, can have a lack of judgment regarding personal finances, be argumentative and stubborn, and who can have a tendency to be withdrawn and spend time in self-imposed isolation.
Lethargic and Unrealistic
Finally, Gustaaf Adolf Frederik Molengraaff also can be too soft, lazy and lethargic, and who can have difficulty finding others who share a similarly dreamy outlook on life.
